The Tasting:The Fifty Best held a “blind” tasting with 17 members of the spirits judging panel and 28 flavored vodkas in three separate categories: Fruits, Coffee, and Herbs, Spice & Miscellaneous. The judges were informed of the categories and flavors, but not the brands. Strict tasting rules were applied. The order of service was established beforehand by lottery. Each of the flavored vodkas were poured into fresh glasses from new sealed bottles, and served at slightly above room temperature. Only ice water and unsalted chips and crackers were available to cleanse the palate.

The Flavored Vodkas were tasted in groups, according to flavor category – with medals awarded on the basis of the judging panels’ rating of all flavored vodkas from that group. The judges wrote down their impressions of each product on score sheets. The scoring was done on a 5-point system, with 5 as the best. Double-Gold, Gold and Silver medals were awarded according to a set range of final point scores received from the judges. There were no Bronze medals awarded in this tasting.

The tasting notes that follow are summaries of the judges’ opinions, with all replicated commentary eliminated. The states/countries of origin and other tidbits are identified for each brand.